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Although the influence of intent understanding on children's moral development has been long studied, little research has examined the influence of belief understanding on that development. In two studies we presented children with morally relevant belief vignettes to examine the extent to which they incorporate both intent and belief information in their moral judgments. In Study 1 (N = 64), 5-year-olds with higher false belief understanding (FBU) rated agents with false beliefs as more positively intentioned in good intent trials (even though the outcome was bad) than in bad intent trials (even though the outcome was good). In contrast, 4-year-olds with higher FBU were generally unable to integrate their belief understanding with their moral evaluations, performing no better on intention questions than children with lower FBU. Neither age group significantly differentiated reward and punishments as a function of intent when a false belief was involved. In Study 2 (N = 109 children, N = 42 adults), we found that by simplifying our study design and reducing the task demands, 4-year-olds with higher FBU were able to make appropriate intent judgments. Yet, as in Study 1, all children had difficulty assigning punishment/reward based on intent. For both moral intentions and moral consequences, 4- and 5-year-olds with higher FBU differed from those of adults in several respects, indicating that moral reasoning develops substantially beyond the preschool years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of getting up from the floor from a supine position (Supine-to-Stand task, STS) can be considered a milestone in motor development and a potential indicator of motor competence in global terms. However, the knowledge about the performance of STS task and anthropometric characteristics is limited. This study examined the relationship between STS task performance and anthropometry in youth and the differences between the sexes, range age and nationality. Participants (n= 397; 45% girls) from Spain and Brazil (M= 9.13 years; SD= 3.79) had the following variables measured: timed STS task, mass, height, chronological age, hip, and waist circumference; Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist/Hip Ratio (WHR), Waist/Height Ratio (WHtR) were calculated. The analysis included ANOVA, Pearson's correlation test and Stepwise multiple regression analysis in four age groups. Age was the variable that obtained statistically significant associations with timed STS task in the youngest age group; the BMI in the children group corresponded to the second childhood phase, and the WHR and the WHtR in the oldest age group. The timed STS task decreased as age groups were increasingly older, confirming that timed STS is strongly associated with growth and maturation processes; there were little differences between sexes or nationalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many sports, elite players outperform novices on tests for perceptual-cognitive skills, such as anticipation, decision-making and pattern recall. However, the developmental trajectory of these perceptual-cognitive skills has received limited attention. Therefore, this study examined the development of anticipation, decision-making and pattern recall in 202 female volleyball players aged between 7 and 26 years old. Participants were categorized into six age groups: U9, U11, U13, U15, U17 and Seniors. Using a video-based occlusion protocol, we assessed participants' ability to predict pass direction, decide the most optimal attack zone, or recall the opponents' defence positions. The results demonstrated that U17 and adult players had superior accuracy and shorter response times than younger players on all three tests. Notably, U9 players performed worse than older players on all tests. Binomial distributions showed that decision-making was above chance for U17 players and adults, whereas anticipation was above chance for almost all players. Our findings indicate that age-related improvements of perceptual-cognitive skills are evident at 11 years old. However, decision-making seems to develop considerably later than anticipation and pattern recall, suggesting different developmental trajectories for the different perceptual-cognitive skills. Longitudinal research regarding the development of perceptual-cognitive skills and their underlying mechanisms is warranted, as this could have important implications for talent detection and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]